“I talk to Z very often, probably once or twice a month,” James told The Plain Dealer. “He meant everything to me. When you come in as a rookie you try to find a leader, that veteran, that guy who’s been around to learn the ropes from. He taught me how to be a professional on and off the floor. That’s something you cannot ever take for granted. He was everything to me.

“From Day One, I knew he was going to be a guy I would always be with.”

Ilgauskas is the Cavs all-time leader in games played (771), rebounds (5,904) and blocks (1,269). He’s also second all-time in scoring with 10,616 points, only trailing his good friend LeBron.